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About

My name is Dale Bonnet.

I am classically trained, Royal Conservatory of Music certified pianist.

My father was a pianist who accompanied many choirs, my mom was a vocal soloist and my older sister also sang and played the piano. My earliest recollection of being moved by music was at the age of 3 dancing in the church aisle during choir rehearsals with my dad accompanying the choir and my mom in the front row. I began taking private piano lessons at the age of 5 and singing harmony with my family as we performed at local churches. I spent the better part of my childhood sight reading all types of music including: musicals, contemporary, folk, ragtime, jazz and blues. Jazz recordings, however, captured my imagination the most because of the incredible musical creativity heard, rhythmically, harmonically and melodically, of both solo performances and ensemble work.

In high school I continued my musical training and studied the clarinet and saxophone as well as played piano in the school’s stage band. As an adult, I continued playing for enjoyment exploring jazz and pop songbooks and returned to the Royal Conservatory of Music to complete my Grade 10 Piano with the accompanying Basic and Intermediate levels of harmony theory.

At that time I was also accepted into Humber’s Bachelor of Music program. While there I studied jazz theory and piano under Brian Dickinson and privately with Dave Restivo. It was a wonderful advanced learning experience for ear training, sight and rhythm reading, and group performance. Although my wife and I could only make the experience last for 1 year I still refer back to my course material and musical resources to continue with the learning process. Even the best musicians strive to learn more, get excited about new musical ideas and enjoy passing on their knowledge through composition, performance and mentoring. This is how I feel and why I enjoy teaching so much.

I have been teaching piano in the Guelph area for the last 10 years and my students range in age from 5 to the retired and from beginning to advanced levels of playing.

I love being able to share my passion for music and watch students learn not only the basics of music but also develop personal expression and creativity through listening and musical experimentation and interpretation.

I also perform and gig locally at private functions, gala’s, events and festivals. Most recently I’ve had the opportunity to be the accompanist for the local popular Italian choir Coro Cantitaliano.